Concrete Utopia is about the survivors of an earthquake, but it's less a traditional disaster film than it is a post-apocalyptic thriller, with nearly all of its runtime devoted to a makeshift society that pops up the ruins of a Korean city.
The earthquake, which happens even before Concrete Utopia's title card, is of biblical proportions, turning the ground itself into a tsunami of rock and metal. Its devastation is rendered with some impressively visceral effects, making it to difficult to tell where sets end and CGI begins (and putting Hollywood institutions like Star Wars and the MCU to shame).
Nearly every building in the city is destroy, with the exception of one apartment block. Because of the cold winter outside, it becomes the focal point of a class war, with those inside weighing their own privilege against the desperation of those outside. There's seemingly no hope of rescue, with director/co-writer Um Tae-hwa completely ignoring the world outside of the city's ruins. It's as if the earthquake swallowed the entire world, adding to the sense that this is an apocalypse rather than your average natural disaster.
It's a canny allegory about the haves and the have-nots — something that could be seen to represent social class divisions, as well as the refugee crises of international politics. The movie's best section is the middle act, when the apartment's makeshift society finds its rhythm and the titular promise of a "concrete utopia" is fulfilled under the guidance of volatile leader Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun). It's a keen reminder that our most esteemed social institutions — laws, governments — only exist because someone made them up.
Running at over two hours, Concrete Utopia lasts a little longer than its allegory is able to sustain — particularly when the leading couple, Min-seong (Parasite's Park Seo-jun) and Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young), don't have a particularly fleshed-out relationship, reducing the emotional impact of the film's survival element. But even if it loses its way a bit in the third act, the very last scene snaps the themes back into focus, reinforcing Concrete Utopia as a savvy dystopian thriller with plenty to say.
(Lotte Entertainment)The earthquake, which happens even before Concrete Utopia's title card, is of biblical proportions, turning the ground itself into a tsunami of rock and metal. Its devastation is rendered with some impressively visceral effects, making it to difficult to tell where sets end and CGI begins (and putting Hollywood institutions like Star Wars and the MCU to shame).
Nearly every building in the city is destroy, with the exception of one apartment block. Because of the cold winter outside, it becomes the focal point of a class war, with those inside weighing their own privilege against the desperation of those outside. There's seemingly no hope of rescue, with director/co-writer Um Tae-hwa completely ignoring the world outside of the city's ruins. It's as if the earthquake swallowed the entire world, adding to the sense that this is an apocalypse rather than your average natural disaster.
It's a canny allegory about the haves and the have-nots — something that could be seen to represent social class divisions, as well as the refugee crises of international politics. The movie's best section is the middle act, when the apartment's makeshift society finds its rhythm and the titular promise of a "concrete utopia" is fulfilled under the guidance of volatile leader Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun). It's a keen reminder that our most esteemed social institutions — laws, governments — only exist because someone made them up.
Running at over two hours, Concrete Utopia lasts a little longer than its allegory is able to sustain — particularly when the leading couple, Min-seong (Parasite's Park Seo-jun) and Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young), don't have a particularly fleshed-out relationship, reducing the emotional impact of the film's survival element. But even if it loses its way a bit in the third act, the very last scene snaps the themes back into focus, reinforcing Concrete Utopia as a savvy dystopian thriller with plenty to say.
